SINCE forming in the late '80s, Mercury Rev has never made two records that sound alike.
The debut album Yerself is Steam was released to widespread acclaim in 1991 and Boces followed a few years later at a time that also spelled the end of the original line-up.
Change inside the band naturally led to new musical exploration.
While a shift in styles has never really been conscious, singer and guitarist Jonathan Donahue is aware the band's diversity may have worked to both its advantage and disadvantage.
``Sometimes we've shot ourselves in the foot and made people take a few steps back,'' Donahue said.
``I can make no excuses for the music that comes out of us. That's a good thing, because when people finally do warm up or open up or find a quality within us that they appreciate, they stay with us for a very long time.
``And that's something that I do really value, that a lot of our fans have stayed with us, through turns both live and on record that might have thrown a few people off.
``You can always tell when you meet them, because there's a mutual appreciation of being at the same point at the same time.'' Mercury Rev has made an impressive return with its psychedelic pop album The Secret Migration. Material began surfacing just weeks after the band came off an extensive world tour in 2002.
Holed up in their studio a couple of hours out of New York City, the band made the most of its time to play around with new ideas.
After nine months of playing around, they invited former member Dave Fridmann, who left the group a few years ago to focus on work as a producer, into the studio.
With The Secret Migration now complete and in-store, Mercury Rev is touring again.
As well as an appearance at the festival Splendour in the Grass later this month, Mercury Rev has joined the Finn Brothers on a national tour and will perform at Newcastle Civic Theatre on Sunday, July 17.
Tickets are available online at www.ticketek.com.au or by calling 4929 1977.
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